Getting the guidance right: optimizing the quality of the UK national guidelines on sexually transmitted infections and closely related conditions

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 297-298
Author(s):  
G Rooney ◽  
F A Cluzeau ◽  
D Daniels ◽  
M FitzGerald ◽  
I Ahmed-Jushuf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
The Uk

scholarly journals Managing Sexually Transmitted Infections in Pregnant Women

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadi K Gupta ◽  
Christine A Bowman
Keyword(s):  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Recommended Treatment ◽  
Adverse Pregnancy ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Birth Preterm

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) constitute a major public health problem in the UK and may result in very costly complications. Many STIs pose the risk of a number of adverse pregnancy outcomes including miscarriage, still birth, preterm delivery, low birth weight and ophthalmia neonatorum. National guidelines for the management of STIs are produced and regularly revised by the British Association of Sexual Heath and HIV. This review outlines the latest recommended treatment options during pregnancy for the commonly encountered STIs.

scholarly journals Online tests for sexually transmitted infections – Friend or Foe? An analysis of providers in the United Kingdom.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor Clarke ◽  
Paddy Horner ◽  
Peter Muir ◽  
Katy M.E. Turner ◽  
Emma Harding-Esch
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Regulatory Change ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Self Testing ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Online Tests

Objectives: Online testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) may contribute to overcoming barriers to traditional testing such as stigma and inconvenience. However, regulation of these tests is lacking, and the quality of services is variable, with potential short- and long-term personal, clinical and public health implications. This study aimed to evaluate online tests available in the UK against national standards. Methods: Providers of online STI tests (self-sampling and self-testing) in the UK were identified by an internet search of Google and Amazon (June 2020). Website information on tests and care was collected, and further information requested from providers via an online survey, sent twice (July 2020, April 2021). The information obtained was compared to British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) guidelines for diagnostics and standards of STI management. Results: 31 providers were identified: 13 self-test, 18-self-sample, and two laboratories that serviced multiple providers. Seven responded to the online survey. Many conflicts with national guidelines were identified, including: lack of health promotion information, lack of sexual history taking, use of tests licensed for professional use only marketed for self-testing, inappropriate infections tested for, incorrect specimen type used, and lack of advice for post-diagnosis management. Conclusions: Very few online providers met the BASHH national STI management guidelines standards that were assessed, and there is concern that this will also be the case in areas that were not covered by this study. For-profit providers were the least compliant, with concerning implications for patient care and public health. Regulatory change is urgently needed to ensure that online providers are compliant with national guidelines to ensure high-quality patient care, and providers are held to account if non-compliant.

Modernization in GUM/HIV services: what does it mean?

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela J Robinson ◽  
Karen Rogstad
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Service ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Hiv Services ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Measuring Outcomes ◽  
Genitourinary Medicine

Genitourinary medicine services are expected to modernize in order to meet the needs of the NHS in the 21st century. Although increased funding is essential, there is a need for services to look at new ways of delivering care in order to deal with the increasing rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV in the community. This must include a review of skill-mix and roles. Some changes may appear to lower the quality of service. There must be auditing of changes to ensure that standards are not lowered. A short-lived working group was put together at the request of the RCP joint speciality committee for GUM consisting of representatives from diverse GUM clinics which have all been involved in extensive modernization of their service in order to meet demand. This report does not hold all the answers but provides suggestions for clinics wishing to initiate change. Changes must be appropriate to the local population and access pressures. More extreme measures may only be appropriate in the most severely stretched clinics and with consideration of measuring outcomes.

scholarly journals Assessment of the quality, content and perceived utility of local maternity guidelines in hospitals in England implementing the saving babies’ lives care bundle to reduce stillbirth

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e000756
Author(s):  
Yu Zhen Lau ◽  
Kate Widdows ◽  
Stephen A Roberts ◽  
Sheher Khizar ◽  
Gillian L Stephen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Clinical Practice Guidelines ◽  
Practice Guidelines ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Care Bundle ◽  
Intrapartum Care ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
The Uk

IntroductionThe UK Department of Health have targeted a reduction in stillbirth by 50% by 2025; to achieve this, the first version of the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle (SBLCB) was developed by NHS England in 2016 to improve four key areas of antenatal and intrapartum care. Clinical practice guidelines are a key means by which quality improvement initiatives are disseminated to front-line staff.MethodsSeventy-five clinical practice guidelines covering the four areas of antenatal and intrapartum care in the first version of SBLCB were obtained from 19 maternity providers. The content and quality of guidelines were evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) tool. Maternity health professionals in participating organisations were invited to participate in an anonymous survey to determine perceptions toward and experiences of the use of clinical practice guidelines using a series of Likert scales.ResultsUnit guidelines showed considerable variation in quality with median scores of 50%–58%. Only 4 (5.6%) guidelines were recommended for use in clinical practice without modifications, 54 (75.0%) were recommended for use subject to modifications and 12 (16.7%) were not recommended for use. The lowest scoring domains were ‘rigour of development’, ‘stakeholder involvement’ and ‘applicability’. A significant minority of unit guidelines omitted recommendations from national guidelines. The majority of staff believed that clinical practice guidelines standardised and improved the quality of care but over 30% had insufficient time to use them and 24% stated they were unable to implement recommendations.ConclusionTo successfully implement initiatives such as the SBLCB change is needed to local clinical practice guidelines to reduce variation in quality and to ensure they are consistent with national recommendations . In addition, to improve clinical practice, adequate time and resources need to be in place to deliver and evaluate care recommended in the SBLCB.

Gynaecology and genitourinary medicine

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Teenage Pregnancy ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Improve Access

Gynaecological practices are changing constantly, with more emphasis on management in primary care, conservative, rather than surgical, management of conditions, and an increase in sub-specialization such as gynaecological oncology and urogynaecology. This chapter reflects these changes and covers the commonest areas in this interesting field. Sexual health is a specialty in its own right. The number of cases of sexually transmitted infections are rising in the UK, despite efforts to raise awareness of safe sex, so knowledge of their presentations is important. The UK also has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Europe, and the Government has set targets to improve access to contraceptive advice for women. In recent years, astounding advances have been made in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and people with HIV can now expect to have a much better quality of life. Although this chapter primarily focuses on diseases affecting women, we have included questions on the sexual health of men to represent the full spectrum of sexual health practice.

scholarly journals Online prescribing for sexually transmitted infections – what’s on offer? An evaluation of internet pharmacies based in the United Kingdom

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Okecha ◽  
Emily Boardman ◽  
Saleha Patel ◽  
Emile Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Herpes Simplex ◽  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Neisseria Gonorrhoeae ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Trichomonas Vaginalis ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Internet Pharmacies ◽  
Online Pharmacies

AbstractBackgroundOnline pharmacies offer an alternative approach for patients to manage their sexual health. Our aim was to determine the type of antimicrobials sold as treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by UK internet pharmacies and if providers were adhering to national guidelines.MethodsA search engine results page (SERP) generated a list of registered UK online pharmacies offering treatment for the following infections: Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Herpes simplex and Trichomonas vaginalis. An initial audit in 2017 benchmarked each provider against the British Association of Sexual Health & HIV (BASHH guidelines. Results were fed back to each provider before re-audit in 2020. Websites selling antibiotics for non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) and Mycoplasma genitalium were included at re-audit.ResultsThere were 30 pharmacies identified in 2017 of which, five were excluded. Treatment could be obtained for Neisseria gonorrhoeae from five pharmacies without providing a culture result; three (60%) pharmacies sold BASHH approved antibiotics for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. All 25 pharmacies sold Chlamydia trachomatis treatment; 22 (88%) offered first line treatment options but no website assessed for proctitis. Herpes simplex treatment was sold on 22 websites of which, 13 (59%) offered treatment recommended by BASHH. Trichomonas vaginalis treatment was sold by four websites in line with BASHH. Results at re-audit showed an improvement in standards, although advice before, during and after treatment remained variable.DiscussionOur work has allowed us to engage with providers to improve prescribing within the UK online pharmacy industry. However, tougher regulation is needed in order to embed sustainable change for patients who choose to access treatment online.

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